Recipe Challenge Contest!

I like a challenge, and I’d like to give back to you readers.  I’ve done crazy things like a healthy Reese-inspired cake,  remember?
This baby’s got no refined sugar, and no butter.  Hello, awesome cake! There was also a mini version:

I like making crazy things that don’t seem healthy, but manage to be good for you.  So what I’m asking, is for YOU to challenge me to make-over some decadent dish or dessert that you love, but is not presently good for you. 

How this is going to work:

1. Comment on this post, and let me know the following: 
   1. Original product/recipe you would like me to makeover.
   2. Any specific ingredients you would like me to omit, or change (if you want something this specific).
   3. Any dietary restrictions you’d like me to accommodate (again, if you’re looking for something this specific).
      1. If you’re not looking to avoid anything specific, but just want to go from “unhealthy” to “healthy”, that’s fine too.
2. If you share this post on facebook, and comment on your facebook the post what you’ve challenged me, that would also be super awesome!  Encourage your friends to challenge me too!
3. You can also share this on Twitter @CravingsGoneCle, and announce your challenge, and let me know.

How I will choose the winner:

I will judge the entries based on a combination of what I find most challenging, what sounds the most appetizing…and a little bit of who shares the challenge the most.

What you win:

An awesome easy to follow recipe that tastes decadent, is GOOD for you, fills a little void in your heart, and tastes amazing.  This might just be the recipe that wins the heart of the one you love.  Really, it could be.

Happy challenging! And thanks in advance for playing!

Super Thai Pizza and Vacation recap

This pizza goes out to anyone who likes a good benedict. It’s been too long!  I’ve been away from my kitchen and my computer for over a week now, and I’ve got about 500 new photos, and not enough time to share them. First let’s do a recipe, then I’ll share a few pics.

Last night I unpacked, and tonight I made up for lost time in the kitchen.  With this make shift amazing pizza. I also made a cherry pie that involved lots of chia seeds. That one is cooling on the counter as I write.  But this pizza was dinner.  And it was good. Gooey saucy good.  Somehow gooey without the cheese, and pretty full of veggies, which made me feel good about eating it!

I had some bold intentions for this pizza when I walked into the kitchen, involving a sweet potato crust, and caramelized onion sauce.  My hopes were dashed when I opened the drawer where we keep those guys–there was a moldy mess!  I was grumpy at the icky cleanup to be done, hungry…and I was left with the few ingredients I had spontaneously picked up.  Determined to make an innovative pizza from scratch.  I had also been dying to try a pizza with an egg on it since I saw one over at Nora’s blog awhile ago. I had very few things around…and pretty much used all I had.

Off I went.  I have to confess that I made the pizza before I cleaned up the mess.  I was hungry, and I knew there’d be baking time!  Wanting to stick with an innovative crust, I opted for carrots…which somehow lead me to using spicy peanut sauce as the sauce…some fresh broccoli and peppers to top, and an egg for each personal pizza.  Breakfast or dinner? As always, you decide!

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 cups large flake oats
• 1/2 cup ground flax seeds
• 1 T agave
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups matchstick carrots

Topping:

• 1 cup broccoli chopped
• 1 cup pepper slices
• 4 T spicy peanut butter (peanut butter mixed with chili powder and red pepper flakes to taste)
• 4 eggs

How to:

1. steam carrots for 7 minutes, meanwhile prep the broccoli and peppers
2. add carrots to food processor with agave, water, and half of the oats, and blend
3. add remaining dough ingredients, and blend until a dough forms
4. divide dough into 4 equal balls
5. on a floured surface, with floured hands and a floured rolling pin, roll the each ball until it’s about 7 inches in diameter
6. top with peanut butter and toppings (but not eggs)
7. pinch sides up a little to give the outside a more pronounced crust (so the egg doesn’t run out later)
8. bake at 400 for 8 minutes
9. pour one egg on each pizza, and return to over for another 12-13 minutes, until egg is solid on outside (but gooey on inside)
10. allow to cool for a couple minutes before ENJOYING!

This was delicious.  The combo of flavors works so well…the spicy and the sweet and the gooey egg.  I can’t believe I’d never done an egg on a pizza before.  I love the results.

Good to the last bite.

I’ll share just a few vacation shots. We were in Arizona, doing a lot of hiking, trying not to get heat stroke or sunburnt, and being mesmerized by odd things like the Out of Africa wildlife park.
I have a thing for this yoga pose, dancer.
A healthy version of this cake might be in order:

This looks like a giant asparagus:
But it’s a tree!  Here, Cam’s make sure.

Here a tiger contemplates a ride.
Tiger takes that ride.  Really.
That tiger isn’t trained, the staff just go on it’s natural playing instincts…though it was pretty nerve wracking to watch, I have to say.  I mean, he does look pretty fierce in some instances:
And now I’ll leave you with a view of some red rocks.

What type of food could I make that would be red rock inspired?  I’m not sure. But I am glad to be home where I can run in the shade, and not be afraid to lean on a tree, despite how pretty AZ is.

Next time, a contest/challenge! 

Homemade roll of Ginger Molasses Cookie Dough–Who needs Pillsbury?

There is definitely something to be said for convenience.  Everyone’s bought a roll of Pillsbury cookie dough at some point in time.  But it’s not healthy…and it’s not homemade.  It is definitely not the best cookie you or I can make!

Sometimes you’ve got time for homemade, and sometimes you don’t.  Take advantage of the times when you have time time…and make a double batch, and freeze half of it.

Then it’s ready to go when you are!  Just take it out, slice how many cookies you want, and off you go!

I made some Ginger Molasses Cookies for this.  Here they are:

This makes a big batch–enough to let you bake some fresh, and to freeze an entire roll.  They are based on this recipe for healthy chocolate chip cookies.

• 1 and 3/4 cups pitted dates
• boiling water for date softening
• 2 square inches ginger, minced
• 1.5 c spelt flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 t baking soda
• 1/2 cup spelt bran
• 2 t salt
• 1/8 c molasses
• 1.5 c dark choc chips
• 1/2 c cacao nibs

How to:

1. Boil water
2. Pack dates into large glass measuring cup, and cover with boiling water, until most dates are just submerged.  Put a plate on top of the dish for 10 minutes so they can all soften
3. When ready to use, remove 1/4 +1/8 cups of the date water and discard
4. In the food processor, pulse the dates and the ginger
5. In a large bowl, blend all dry ingredients except chips and nibs
6. Add dry ingredient mixture and eggs to food processor and blend until dough forms
7. Transfer to bowl, and mix in nibs and chips
8. Back or pack!
9. ENJOY

How to prepare it to freeze:

When preparing it, all you do is roll whatever cookie dough you have left into a log shape, that’s about 1.5″ in diameter.  Make sure it’s tightly backed, and roll it up in some parchment.  Place in a plastic bag, and try to get all the air out.  Voila!

Now, as you can see, I cut the cookies, and didn’t change the shape.  That’s the only issue here: you might want to reshape them, or smoosh them a little, because they won’t change shape when you’re baking them, and so you end up with this:
Still totally delicious and melty.  And nope, they’re not raw.  I think I baked them at 375 for 12 minutes from frozen…but I don’t remember!  I do have some left in the freezer, so I’ll have to try again   They are melt in your melt awesome!

Coconut Carrot Cake Pancakes

What makes for the best carrot cake?  I think it’s coconut!  I liked these pancakes so much I made them for days in a row..and nobody complained.  They are fluffy and hearty at the same time.  And delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1.5 cps shredded carrots
• 1/3 flour (I used spelt)
• 1/3 cup spelt flakes (or large flake oatmeal)
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2 T chia seeds (white, whole)
• 1 t baking powder
• pinch of sea salt

How to:

1. puree the eggs and the carrots and coconut oil together (I used a magic bullet, but a blender or immersion blender would do just fine)
2. in a large bowl, combine all other ingredients EXCEPT the shredded coconut
3. fold liquid into flour mixture until combined
4. fold in coconut
5. cook over medium, flipping when the top is bubbly

Make an easy 2 second syrup alternative:

• combine yogurt with vanilla stevia to taste–it’s healthier than syrup!
  Top with some nuts for an extra ‘carrot cake’ taste.  Enjoy!  

Just in case you needed a few more reasons to eat these…

• whole eggs provide complete usable protein
• good source of B vitamins–destress with breakfast!
• sneaking some veggies into breakfast–yes, you should!
• chia seeds provide some Omega 3′s, and a great source of fiber and antioxidants
• coconut oil=healthy fats

Look at this delicious texture!

100th Post and a Special Announcement

I can’t believe I’ve reached my 100th post!  In a way, I can’t believe I haven’t been doing this longer…what did I do without this blog?  Lots of improvising in the kitchen, with no results I could replicate.  That’s a good thing a blog, it forces you to write everything down.

First, I have to thank everyone who read and interacts with me here, or tells me that they read it when they run into me in person–that means so much to me.  If I was writing into the empty void of the internet with no response, I’m not sure how far I’d get!

So over this past…year or so, I’ve really got addicted to this recipe writing/developing/testing/photographing/sharing thing.  Really, it’s pretty much my favorite thing to do. As you may know, I’m studying to be a nutritionist, so that gives me a little cred–a little healthy food cred? Perhaps a little shockingly healthy food cred? I hope so!  Because here comes my announcement…

I am officially open for business!
The more I’ve got into this whole recipe development healthy food thing, the more I seem to talk about it…and the more I am realizing how nobody seems to be filling the void for decadent tasting,  good for you, shockingly healthy desserts, certainly not in Toronto where I’ve been looking around!

Now I can’t have that. Everyone should have access to that. And know what, if they’ve got food allergies and sensitivities, I think they should have awesome dessert options too. No health-washing, just aweesome desserts made of actual food.

There will be an addition of a “services” page around here in the near future where you can custom order those brownies shown above if you’re in the GTA and want to pick them up downtown.  In the meantime, feel free to shoot me an email if you’re interested in rates laurenbreuer (at) gmail.com

Don’t worry, I’ll keep bringing regular recipes, and I’ll have one in my next post. I’m also in a symptomatology class right now, which will make for lots of interesting info–down to the diagnosis phase! On top of that, I’m taking a holistic food prep course as well–which means more awesome nutritional knowledge! Yay!

So thank you for reading, and thank you for appreciating my creative creations, and for believing you don’t need refined sugar or grains to have refined tastebuds.

The green smoothie that doesn’t taste green

The green smoothie…it looks so green…yet tastes so fruity. I had this for lunch the other day when I was in a rush, and I love doing it for breakfast, or sharing one as a mid-day pick me up.

This smoothie has been promised to some of my personal training clients.  One client makes a big blender of smoothies for the whole family each morning. This would be a fantastic way to sneak some veggies into everyone’s breakfast.  The only problem? The color!  I told her to put it in colored or opaque cups with lids and straws so the kids don’t notice.  I haven’t heard the verdict on that one yet.  Lots of other people just need to sneak some more veggies in to their day, and they might as well get started with breakfast!

And I swear, although I love spinach in savory dishes, I don’t necessarily want to drink it and taste it…BUT you don’t taste it in a smoothie! I promise.

You can be flexible with the ingredients, even the proportions, depending on how thick you’d like it, and what you have around.  Lately, here is my go-to recipe:

• 1 cup frozen fruit–mango and bananas work particularly well for texture (if you have fresh that’s okay too, it just won’t be as thick or cold)
• 1 c (or more) milk (I use almond milk, and put in enough to cover the fruit in the blender)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (skip if it’s just a snack, or decide how much depending on your protein needs. If it’s breakfast, definitely add the protein)
• 2 BIG handfuls of baby spinach 

Blend it all–if it’s too thick, feel free to add more milk or some water. 

Other optional add-ins:

• 1 tbsp ground flax seed, chia, or hemp to up the fiber and get some omega 3′s (again, this is a great place to hide things)
• A few spoons of kefir–A great way to get some probiotics into your digestive system.  Careful–kefir isn’t the same as Activia.  Good yogurts have bacteria that colonizes, so it helps you more than the day you eat it.  Activia yogurt isn’t colonizing, so the day you don’t eat it, you stop reaping the benefits.  These good guys help crowd out the bad guys…so eat fermented dairy, and fight the good fight!

Smoothie eating tip:

Chewing actually helps to release the digestive juices you need for proper digestion, so even though you don’t need to chew a smoothie the same way you need to chew a piece of meat, you should actually try pacing yourself as you drink and mimic a bit of a chewing motion–you’ll absorb more nutrients!

What’s your favorite thing to sneak into a smoothie?

Come back next time…it will be my 100th post, and I’ve got some exciting news to share!

Plantain Fritters

Since I started making these, plantains have become a fixture around here. I think we’ve bought them every week for the last month or so. They’re really delicious, and they’re a great alternative to other starchy things (like grains)..and add a little sweetness.

For a fritter, I find them unbelievably easy. They’re a great snack, a good side…and perfect to layer on top of (I’ve put kale taco salad on top, and even used them as the bottom layer of a benedict!). Really, the possibilities are endless with these.

If you’re not familiar with plantains, they’re part of the banana family, but they’re starchier (they have more structural integrity). They need to be very ripe, almost completely black to be ready to be used. And then, you want to cook them.  Their nutritional content is similar to that of bananas, but they have more Vitamin A.  Onto the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 large plantains, grated (I used the food processor)
• 1 egg (or flax egg)
• 1/4 cup spelt bran (or flax seed or flour)
• pinch of sea salt
• other spices of your choice (I’ve used Southern Mrs. Dash)

How to:

1. grate the plantains
2. in a bowl, whisk the egg, then mix all ingredients together
3. over medium heat (with coconut oil, if not using a coated pan), scoop 1/4 cup of mixture and press down so it’s a pancake shape, for each fritter
4. cook approx 5 mins a side, they’re ready when they’re nice and golden
5. ENJOY!

You can also make them smaller, and enjoy a little appetizer:
Yes, that’s a dipping sauce you see there.  I like mine with a spicy greek yogurt sauce.

Sauce ingredients:

• 1/4 c greek yogurt
• 1 chipotle, seeded and minced (adjust depending on your desire for heat)
• 1/4 avovado, mashed
• juice of 1/2 lime

Mix everything together.  It’s got a kick, and it’s also a little refreshing. Perfectly balanced dipping sauce.

One more convenient thing about these guys is that they reheat very nice.  Just put them in the toaster oven for about 7 minutes at 350, and they’re ready to go!

What’s your favorite less than conventional type of produce to use?